Apology to help ease Indigenous hurt

An Aboriginal dancer performs in the Woggan-ma-gule Morning Ceremony as part of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney this year. This came after the newly elected federal government said it would apologise to Indigenous people for the forced removal of children from their families (Source: Reuters/Mick Tsikas)

Related Stories

An apology from the Australian federal government to Indigenous Australians affected by the forced removal of children from their families will be a starting point for improving Indigenous mental health, experts say.

Professor of population mental health and disasters at the University of Western Sydney, Beverley Raphael, says apologies are an important part of the healing process for victims of trauma.

The inquiry estimated that between 1910 and 1970, at least one in every 10 Indigenous children was forcibly removed from their families and placed in church missions, institutions, adopted or fostered.

While all state governments issued apologies, in August 1999 the then Prime Minister John Howard expressed a "deep and sincere regret" for past injustices.

No magic wand

Raphael says no one should think an apology will be a "magic wand".

But she says it will "help the Indigenous community see it has a government that is prepared to deal with this issue".

Raphael says the importance of the event to Indigenous people can be gauged by the numbers wanting to witness it at Parliament House in Canberra.

"You can see in the movement of people wanting to go to hear that it's a clear recognition of how important it is," she says.

"This suggests that negotiated forgiveness and reconciliation will remain elusive goals until the matter of an apology is resolved," they write.

Everyone benefits

Sharp and Raphael say Australia's non-Indigenous population will also benefit emotionally from the apology.

"I think we all move forward by accepting the past," Sharp says.

Dr Rosanna Capolingua, president of the Australian Medical Association, says the symbolism of the apology will have a significant positive impact on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and the nation as a whole.

"The apology will be the catalyst for a new era of co-operation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians," she says.

"We need to look upon the apology as a beginning, not an end, especially in how we address the tragic state of Indigenous health."

Indigenous mental health

Data on the prevalence of mental health problems in Aboriginal communities is scarce, Raphael says.

But she says the prevalence of mental health is "significantly worse for Aboriginal people" than the general population.

Reverend Leslie Baird, who managed the Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service in Yarrabah, south of Cairns, and is the community's Anglican priest, says there is a link between the past forced removal of children and current Indigenous health and wellbeing.

"In Yarrabah when we consulted with the community, we discovered that 80% of people are descendants from the stolen generation," he says.

"Stemming from the stolen generation times, there is a lot of hurt and pain that comes through at all levels including the individual, family and community and as a result we have the social determinants of health we see today, like alcohol, drugs, domestic violence and sexual abuse."

Sharp agrees that the loss of parenting skills and influence, culture and language are key factors in current Indigenous community issues such as substance abuse by the young.

"The damage that was done was very much inter-generational," he says.

The 2007 Western Australian Child Health Survey shows almost 25% of Aboriginal children aged four to 17 years are at high risk of clinically significant emotional or behavioural difficulties.